1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to disposable filters for fluid streams, and more particularly to a filter system employing one or more pre-filters and one or more final filters located downstream of the pre-filters. The filters of this invention may be used in association with a spray paint booth, a heating system, a ventilating system, an air handling system, or an air conditioning system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many materials and combinations of materials have been used as filtration media to remove solid or liquid particulate from fluid streams. The capabilities of such filter media are judged according to three main criteria: (1) the particulate removal efficiency (i.e., the ability of the filter media to capture and retain particulate); (2) the pressure drop for a given flow rate of fluid through the media (which is utilized as a measure of the power required to move the fluid stream through the media); and (3) the holding capacity (i.e., the total amount of particulate which can be retained by the media before the pressure drop becomes so great that the media must be cleaned or replaced).
The filter disclosed in application Ser. No. 09/476,555 is designed to be placed in the fluid stream to trap the particulates suspended in a particulate-laden fluid stream. The cost of the filters disclosed in the co-pending application is not insignificant, so anything that can be done to extend the life thereof will result in a significant cost reduction in the filtering process. The filter system disclosed in Ser. No. 10/139,990 represents an improvement in the art and the instant invention is believed to represent a further improvement in the art.